Happy Birthday
by citigirl13
Summary: Based on season 3 rumours.  It's Elena's birthday after Stefan left, and she's not in a celebatory mood.  Can Damon make her feel better, even just a little bit?


**Hey! **

**So I came up with this idea out of the blue and...well, it just called to me, y'know? So why not write it? It's based on the gossip that the first episode of the next series is going to be Elena's birthday, but she's not very happy because Stefan and her have broken up and of course Jenna and her parents aren't there etc. Yeah, it's not the best eighteenth birthday in the world, let's be honest.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters...honest. If I did, we'd see a LOT more Damon/Elena moments (let's hope that's what season three has in store for us!)**

**Happy Birthday**

Before, Elena loved her birthday. When she was little she would always wake up at six o'clock and jump eagerly into her parents room, and with Jeremy they'd all open their presents together. Because it was the summer* neither of the Gilbert children had school, and her parents would take the day off work. They would make a big breakfast, with bacon sandwiches and pancakes and French toast and all of the things that she loved. Usually on her birthday they would all go out somewhere: maybe to a nice area in the countryside and have a big picnic, or to a huge shopping mall, or to a film – just something that they could do together. As she got older, she would spend the day with her friends, but she always came home for a birthday meal with her family. What always made her smile was that her parents always got her a cake, even as she entered her teenage years. It was so obvious, even though they tried to hide it, but Elena always pretended not to know and act surprised when they called her down to the kitchen and they were all there, candles lit and waiting to sing "Happy Birthday".

Before, she'd had big plans for her eighteenth birthday. She would have a party at The Grill, with everyone at the school attending. It would go well into the night, perhaps even until dawn. But she knew that on that day, she would come home and find her parents and Jeremy in the kitchen with a huge birthday cake. As usual.

But now they were gone.

They weren't the only ones: Jenna was...and Stefan was with Klaus doing God knows what. She didn't know what to think. The last time they had spoken was when he had told her he was going to talk to Klaus, when he told her about Damon. She had texted him to let him know Damon was okay, but he hadn't replied. She had called and left messages, even when he hadn't answered for weeks, until when she finally tried to call him she had been told the number had been disconnected.

That hurt.

She knew that her birthday wasn't going to be good. In honesty she wasn't in the celebrating mood. But everyone seemed to be low, so maybe a bit of celebration was a good idea. Besides, Caroline had thrown herself into planning it and Elena didn't have the heart to tell her not to bother.

It was at The Grill, and though a lot of the school was there and many wished her a happy birthday, she basically stayed with Bonnie, Jeremy, Caroline, Tyler (who was becoming part of their group again – after all he and Jeremy were friends and there was a certain spark between him and Caroline) and Alaric. Matt was there too, even though it was his night off, and Elena was grateful for that. Caroline had confided in her that he knew about them, but he never mentioned it. She knew it was difficult for him – all his friends had changed. There was nothing that could be done about it, it had simply happened. But at least he made an effort, and Elena adored him for that.

Damon wasn't there though. She was surprised; she had thought that he would at least make an appearance, for her. But then, he had changed too. He never said anything, but she knew he was anxious about his brother. She knew that he was making a plan, and he knew that when he was done he had to let her in on it – she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked when she saw Elena craning her neck, searching the crowd.

Elena turned, focussed on her friend. She tried to smile. She could never seem to manage it anymore, at least not brightly. "I'm fine." She reached over and squeezed her friend's hand. "Thank you for the bracelet, by the way. It's beautiful."

When Bonnie smiled, Elena could see it was a little sad. "I just wish I could give you what you really want."

_Stefan. Jenna. My parents. _

"No one can give me that." Feeling choked up, Elena turned away. Her eyes landed on her younger brother, who was sitting by the bar. "Is Jer okay?" she asked, noting his slouched posture and brooded look.

Bonnie frowned too, though her eyes were concerned. "I don't know," she said. "He's been...I don't know, distant. He's been like this for weeks now. Maybe losing Jenna has finally sunk in, I don't know..." Bonnie's brow furrowed.

Seeing that look, Elena said, "Give him time Bonnie. We're all struggling."

Bonnie gave her friend an understanding smile.

It gave Elena hope, a little courage to work up what she had wanted to say since she'd arrived an hour ago. "Look, thank you for this party, I...appreciate it. But I think I'm just going to take off."

Bonnie blinked at her in surprise. "What? But – you can't leave."

"I get what you're trying to do, and I love you all for it, but I just feel like being alone right now." She stood up, grabbing her jacket from the back of the chair. "You understand, right?"

Her friend looked regretful. "Thing is Elena, you can't go _just _yet." The witch looked behind Elena, and the girl turned round. Caroline was right there, her face beaming as she presented an enormous cake to Elena. Everyone seemed to have been waiting for this, and crowded around her. All their voices joined together, singing like a choir. Elena forced herself to smile, at times looking up at her friends. Alaric looked as if he understood how she was feeling, and Matt gave her a shrug as if to say, _it's Caroline; just go with it. _When she blew out her eighteen candles, everyone clapped on cheered, and Caroline informed them that all the drinks were on the house. There was an even greater roar at that statement. Elena wondered how she'd managed to swing that; she suspected compulsion had been part of it.

Elena handed out pieces of cake. She had no desire to have any of it. It was a sponge cake with strawberry icing, and it looked truly delicious, but... Before, her parents had always given her chocolate cake. It had always been her favourite – well, anything covered in chocolate really. Still, who was she to ruin their fun? Caroline seemed over the moon, and plenty of other people seemed to be having a good time.

She caught Jeremy's eye, and he seemed to understand. He wandered over and pulled Elena up, muttering that he wanted a word with his sister.

Once they were outside, she smiled at him. "Thanks Jer," she said sincerely.

"I kinda saw you were feeling a little suffocated in there." They were quiet for a few moments. Elena looked round: Mystic Falls was beautiful in the summer time. It was her favourite time of year. Everything was so warm, the plants rejoicing in the heat. For the first time Elena couldn't join it. Then again, last August hadn't been great either, after her parents...

"It's not the same, is it?" Jeremy's voice floated out, voicing what Elena had been feeling.

"No," Elena replied sadly. She took a proper look at Jeremy. She noticed that he had lost weight. He looked tired too, haggard. Elena felt a powerful surge of guilt. How had she not noticed how hard he was taking Jenna's death? "How are you Jer?"

He sighed. "I'll survive." He turned to face her and smiled, though that seemed forced – just like hers had. "Go while you have the chance. If Caroline finds you she'll pull you back inside."

"Thanks again," she said, hugging him impulsively. He went inside and Elena stared after him. She wondered what she could do to help him, though her heart wasn't in it; after all, she knew better than anyone that time healed the biggest wounds.

That sucked.

She walked home, holding her jacket in her arms. Despite the fact it was evening, it was still warm enough for her to walk home without a jacket. It was also bright enough, thank God. This was another reason why summer was the best season: it didn't get dark for ages, which meant most vampires couldn't come out until it was much later. She could walk home safe. Or at least, that's what she tried to convince herself. After learning about vampires and werewolves and witches, the world seemed a much darker place, even in the light.

It was quiet when she got home – everyone was at the party. Elena hung up her jacket when she heard a noise. Freezing, she listened. Not breathing, she noted the noise came from the kitchen. Could it be Klaus or...Stefan?

Slowly she opened the closet door and pulled out a stake, one of many that they had hidden round the house – for protection. Alaric insisted, and Elena and Jeremy couldn't think of any reason to ignore it.

With trepidation she crept down the hall, holding the stake in her hand tightly. She didn't bother to call out; she was going to use any element of surprise that she could get. She burst into the kitchen, stake armed and ready to stab.

Damon held up his hands slowly, looking completely unafraid. "I give?" he said weakly.

Elena sighed, placing her arms by her sides. "Jesus Damon! You scared the life out of me."

"Well it wasn't my intention," Damon argued, though he was smirking. "If it makes you feel any better, you were well prepared."

She gave an exasperated sigh, though she didn't really feel annoyed with Damon. It was kinda nice in a way, not to be alone. "What are you doing here Damon?" she asked.

"Well," he said, closing his eyes and shrugging, though a smirk was on his face. "Someone told me that it was your birthday today, and..." He moved away so Elena could see behind him. On the table was a single cupcake, with a pink candle in it.

Elena knew she looked like an idiot with her mouth half-open, but she truly was speechless. But why was she so surprised? Yes Damon could be cruel, annoying and utterly infuriating, but every now and then he these did little acts of kindness. Each one of them reminded Elena that he cared; each one gave her hope for the future, enforcing the notion that Damon was good. After all, she liked him, just the way he was.

Neither of them had talked about the kiss. She sincerely doubted he had told anyone else, and she hadn't spoken a word to anyone, not even Bonnie. Only Katherine knew, and no one had seen her since she'd delivered the cure and the news about Stefan. It was a secret that hadn't been spoken aloud. Elena wasn't even sure how she would bring it up. She knew that Damon felt deeply about her, but she also knew that he wasn't ready to talk about this. They both felt guilty for kissing, even though Stefan had technically abandoned them. She was amazed that Damon felt guilty about anything, but it just showed that he really was a good guy.

"Thank you Damon," she said, turning to him. For once when she smiled she felt it vibrate across her face.

He shrugged, appearing casual. "It's your birthday."

A thought suddenly echoed through her mind, and she was unable to keep it to herself. "Hey, when's your birthday? I know Stefan's is in November**, but I don't know when yours is."

He gazed at her for a moment, his face indifferent, though Elena thought she detected some flickering of thought in his eyes. Finally he smiled softly at her. "June 21st," he answered.

"Wha- what?" Elena stared at him, her coffee brown eyes widening. "Your birthday's _today_?" Damon lifted his shoulders, which Elena guessed was his answer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I am telling you." She gave him a look, and he exhaled loudly, signalling that he thought this information wasn't needed. Yet he spoke anyway. "I don't know, I've had over a hundred birthdays. I got sick of them after a while." He sent her another smile before turning away, heading towards the door. "I'll see you later."

"But – wait!" Elena rushed after him. He had already opened the door, and could have easily gotten away, but he looked back. She stood helplessly in the archway, suddenly at a loss for words. "I don't have anything to give you," she murmured.

He smiled, her favourite crooked smile, her bittersweet smile. "You've already given me more than I deserve." With those words he stunned her, and he took the opportunity to escape.

Elena didn't know how long she stood there before turning back to the kitchen. It seemed to have darkened in the blink of an eye, and she reminded herself she didn't have much time before the others arrived back. Maybe it would just be Jeremy, but sometimes Alaric and Bonnie stayed over too.

She sat at the table, exhausted suddenly. The cupcake looked perfect, a lot of chocolate and sponge and a little icing – just the way she lived it. He had lit the candle, and it brightened the darkened kitchen, a wavering candle in the presence of overwhelming darkness. And yet it stayed alight.

Damon and her shared a birthday. Who knew? She couldn't help but smile at the thought; it was one of the many coincidences.

She lifted the cake up, thinking. Damon was good; she had always known it, and now it was finally showing. She may be the only one who was seeing it, but perhaps that was enough.

She closed her eyes and made a wish.

**xXx **

***I'm assuming June 21****st**** is summer in America, though it isn't in the UK. If it's not, just pretend for the sake of the story, okay? Thanks! **

****I'm assuming Stefan's is in November b/c his birthday was after Vicky's death, which was on Halloween.**

**Please review!**


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